Astrology | Week of April 15, 2010

ARIES March 21-April 19: Photons work hard to get from the heart of the sun to the surface. They can take up to 160,000 years to complete the 400,000-plus-mile journey. And yet once Earth-bound photons get topside, they travel the 93 million-mile distance to our planet in just over eight minutes. I foresee a metaphorically similar situation unfolding in your life in the coming weeks. A development that has been a long time in the making will accelerate tremendously in its last phase of ripening.

TAURUS April 20-May 20: Taurus genius Irving Berlin (1888-1989) has been called the greatest songwriter who ever lived. Among his 1,500 compositions were iconic tunes like “God Bless America” and “White Christmas,” as well as scores for 18 Hollywood movies and 19 Broadway shows. And yet he never learned to read or write music. Was he embarrassed about his handicap? Not at all. He even bragged about it. He felt that having such a minimal grasp of the conventions of songwriting was an advantage, giving him the freedom to be extraordinarily original. Is there any way in which you’re like Irving Berlin, Taurus? Do you have a seeming limitation that is actually an aid to your creativity and uniqueness? Celebrate it this week.

GEMINI May 21-June 20: “Every changed circumstance contains opportunities, which accrue to the first people to recognize them,” wrote poet Charles Potts. “Since circumstances are in constant flux, there is a steady stream of opportunities. Learn to spot them and make them your own.” I offer you this advice, Gemini, because you’ll soon be in a prime position to derive great benefit from it. If you tweak your attitude just right — aligning your novelty receptors to be on high alert — the clattering commotion of metamorphosis that’s headed your way will bring with it a bustling welter of unforeseen openings.

CANCER June 21-July 22: First the negatives: Don’t be a martyr to what you’ve won. Don’t let your success oppress you. Don’t become a slave to the useful role you’ve earned. Don’t neglect your own needs as you serve the needs of those who admire you for what you give. Now let’s try a more positive way to frame the challenges ahead of you: Keep questioning whether the fruits of your victories are still enjoyable and fulfilling to you. Make sure the triumphs of the past don’t get in the way of the potential triumphs of the future. Find out how your success may need to evolve. Push beyond what’s good and head in the direction of what’s great.

LEO July 23-Aug. 22: My rage against the machine began early. I joined my first protest march at age 15, led a boycott at 17, and was teargassed by cops at a demonstration when I was 18. In the intervening years, my anger at injustice has broadened and deepened. I’ve lent my rebel yells to hundreds of righteous causes. But in 2006, I decided to shift my approach. Instead of fighting every single abuse that incited my ire, I chose three to concentrate on: the obscene militarism of the American government, the extreme financial disparities between the rich and poor, and the environmental degradations caused by corporations and corporate culture. Since then, my crusading energy has been more focused and effective, and my general mood has brightened. I recommend you consider a similar change, Leo. It’s an excellent time for you to give more of your passion to fewer causes.

VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22: Do you remember the monster that sometimes lived under your bed when you were a kid? Recently it found its way back to you, and has been spending time in your closet. It’s not as frightening as it used to be, and I’m not alarmed by its return. In fact, I think it has an important message for you that would be valuable to discover. I encourage you to invite it out for a conversation. As you might suspect, as soon as it delivers its crazy wisdom, it will leave you in peace.

LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22: Present the following dare to a person or persons with whom you would like to go deeper: “You think you know me, but you really know just a tantalizing fraction. Would you like to experience the rest of the story?” And if anyone expresses interest, take him or her on a magical tour they won’t forget. Reveal the sides of you that are too mysteriously interesting to show the general public, or too intimate to reveal to anyone you don’t trust, or so potent they might intimidate those who don’t have a lot of self-possession.

SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21: In North America, California Condors are the biggest flying birds that live on land. Their wingspans are up to ten feet. Once sacred to certain Native Americans, these members of the vulture family can live for 60 years and soar as high as 15,000 feet. But they came close to extinction in the 20th century, mostly because of human activity. In 1987, conservationists intervened. In the hope of replenishing the population in captivity, they captured every last one of the 22 remaining wild condors. Painstaking efforts gradually yielded results, and today there are 348 birds, including 187 in the wild. I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because I believe now is an excellent time to begin a project to save your own metaphorical version of an “endangered species.”

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21: According to Us Weekly, baseball star Alex Rodriguez owns two paintings of himself in which he’s portrayed as half-man, half-horse. This is an excellent time for you to be inspired by his example. Gazing at a picture of a mythical centaur that looks like you would speak to your subconscious mind in just the right way. Bypassing your rational ego, that stirring icon would animate and cultivate the wise animal in you. It would stimulate the sweet spot where your physical vitality overlaps your visionary intelligence. Do you know anyone who could Photoshop this powerful image for you?

CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19: Here’s my startling prediction: More Capricorn spiritual seekers will become enlightened in the next five weeks than in any comparable period of history. Hell, there’ll be so much infinity mixed with eternity available for your tribe that even a lot of you non-seekers could get a lightning bolt of illumination or two. That’s not to say that you have to accept the uplifting revelations, or even tune in to them, for that matter. If you’d prefer to ignore the sacred hubbub and go about your practical business without having to hassle with the consequences of a divine download, that’s fine.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18: Can you imagine what it would be like to venture into the opposite of the Bermuda Triangle? You know, a zone where wonderfully odd things occur rather than bad strange things? I think that such a place exists, and I think you’ll soon find it. The luck that unfolds for you will be a blend of dumb and brilliant. The discoveries you make may be useless on the outside but valuable on the inside. Lost keys may reappear and missing links will materialize out of nowhere. Here’s the piece de resistance: An apparent memory of the future could provide a secret passageway to a previously hidden enclave that contains “magic garbage.”

PISCES Feb. 19-March 20: In honor of the new identity you’re evolving into, I hereby give you the nickname of “Miracle Player,” or else — if you like one of these better — “Sleek Cat” or “Giant Step” or “Fate Whisperer.” You may hereafter also use any of the following titles to refer to yourself: “CEO of My Own Life” or “Self- Teacher of Jubilance and Serenity” or “Fertile Blur of Supple Strength.” Feel free to anoint your head with pure organic virgin olive oil, fashion a crown for yourself out of roses and shredded masks, and come up with a wordless sound that is a secret sign you’ll give to yourself whenever you need to remember the marvelous creature you’re on your way to becoming.